Venancio Altamirano's common-law wife called police after he armed himself with a fake gun and threatened to force officers to shoot him.

Less than 90 minutes later, the man was shot and killed by San Diego officers in Chollas View after reportedly reaching for the replica handgun in his waistband.

"My mom wanted to get some help for my dad," said Amalia Aguilar, 22. "What did police do? They came here and just got rid of him. They killed him."

Altamirano, 39, was fatally wounded in the confrontation on Cotton Street about 10 p.m. Monday. His daughter is disputing portions of the police version of events and questioning why nonlethal methods weren't used.

According to police, a woman called about 8:45 p.m. to report her estranged, common-law husband was stalking her, threatening to point a fake gun at officers and make them shoot him if she didn't take him back.

"My dad was not stalking my mom. They were not estranged. He lived here," Aguilar said yesterday, pointing to a one-story house on Cotton Street near 47th Street.

"They were having an argument over the family moving to Temecula," Aguilar said.

Altamirano, a construction worker, was resisting the move, she said. A relative had given the family a house in Riverside County.

"My mom wanted help, maybe counseling for my dad. That's why she called the 531-2000 business number rather than 911. She is so devastated over what happened that she's been in her closet crying and won't come out," Aguilar said.

She wondered why police could not have used a Taser or pellet gun.

"They didn't have to kill my dad," she said.

Denise Martinez, 17, another surviving daughter, said her mom told police that Altamirano had a fake gun and was threatening what is commonly called suicide by cop.

"We felt if they knew that, they would know he wasn't serious about all this," Denise said. "But they never came and talked to us. They just came and shot." She said Altamirano only showed the gun but never removed it from his waistband or pointed it.

Police arrived at the house about an hour after the call was made.

"It was believed the suspect was not at the woman's house so the call was not immediately dispatched," homicide Lt. Mike Hurley said.

As officers approached the front door, one of them saw a man emerge from between two houses.

"The officers made commands for the suspect to stop, but he walked across the street and entered the front yard of a house," Hurley said.

Officers followed, demanding he get down on the ground. The man continued to walk away and pulled a gun from his waistband, Hurley said.

"As the suspect began to point the gun at officers, two of them shot at the suspect, who was mortally wounded," Hurley said.

The officers' names have not been released. They have been assigned to administrative duty during the investigation by police and the district attorney.

Altamirano's gun was a replica similar to a semiautomatic pistol, Hurley said.

At the time, officers who responded to the call had no way of knowing if the gun was fake, police said.

Neighbors were divided over the police action. Some disagreed, others did not.

Conrad Trailer, who lives a few blocks away, said he sympathizes with the family over their loss, but wonders what else could have been done.

"If you're the police, how do you know a gun being aimed at you is not the real thing? You can't wait to find out," he said.

It was the second time this year San Diego police shot and killed a person who turned out to have a replica handgun.

On April 4, Jacob Faust, 25, was shot and killed in the Gaslamp Quarter after a traffic stop. His family has questioned officers' version of events and is awaiting results of an investigation by the district attorney.